1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to improvements in radiation protection. More particularly, the invention relates to the use of silicon particle nano-clusters formed with crystalline cores and amorphous shells that are used for absorbing ultraviolet wavelength radiation in a protection scheme.
2. Description of the Known Art
As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, silicon nanoparticles are known in various forms. Patents disclosing information relevant to silicon nanoparticles include U.S. Pat. No. 7,078,276, issued to Zurcher, et al. on Jul. 18, 2006; U.S. Pat. No. 7,020,372, issued to Lee, et al. on Mar. 28, 2006; U.S. Pat. No. 7,005,669, issued to Lee on Feb. 28, 2006; U.S. Pat. No. 6,961,499, issued to Lee, et al. on Nov. 1, 2005; U.S. Pat. No. 6,846,565, issued to Korgel, et al. on Jan. 25, 2005; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,268,041, issued to Goldstein on Jul. 31, 2001; U.S. Pat. No. 6,992,298, issued to Nayfeh, et al. on Jan. 31, 2006.
Other publications to consider include:    1. Canham, L. T., Appl. Phys. Lett., 1.990, vol. 57, p. 1046;    2. Klein, K., Sun Products: Protection and Fanning. Carol Stream; Allured, 1998, p. 5;    3. Ishchenko, A. A., Storozhenko, P A., Tutorskii, I A., et al, RF Patent 2 227 015, 2003;    4. Zhu, Y, Wang, H., and Ong, P R, Appl. Surf Sci., 2001, vol. 171, p. 44;    5. Roldughin, V I., Usp. Khim., 2003, vol. 72, p. 931;    6. Huang, F.-C., Lee, J.-F, Lee, C. K., and Chao, H. P., Colloids Surf., A, 2004, vol. 239, p. 41;    7. Delerue C., Allan 0., Lannu M.//J. Lumin. 1990. V. 80. P. 65-73;    8. Soni R. K., Fonseca L. F., Resto 0., Buzaianu M., Weisz S. Z. II J. Lumin. B. 1999, V. 83-84. P. 187-191;    9. Altman I. S., Lee D., Chung J. D., Song J., Choi M. II Phys. Rev. B. 2001. V. 63. P. 161406    10. Knief S., WolfganvonNiessen.//Phys. Rev. B. 1999. V. 59. P. 12940-12945    11. Tsutomu Shimizu-Iwayama, Takayuki 1-lama, David F. Hole, Ian W. Boyd.//Solid-State Electronics. B. 2001. V. 45. P. 1487-1494    12. Kuzlmin G. P., Karasev M. E., Khokhlov E M., Kononov N. N., Korovin S. B., Plotnichenko V. G., Polyakov S N., Pustovoy V I. and Tikhonevich 0. V.//Laser Physiks 2000. V. 10. P. 939-945    13. Beckman D., Beiogorokhov Al., Guseinov Sh. L. Ischenko A. A., Storojenko P. A., Tutorskyi l. A.,//Patent RU No. 2227015 Under the application for the invention from 05.06.2003 r.    14. Popov A. P., Kirillin M. Yu., Priezzhev A. V., Lademann J., Hast J. a. Myllyla P. Proc. SPIE,//Optical Diagnostics and Sensing V, B. 2005. V. 5702. P. 113-122.    15. Marchenko V. M., Koltashev V. V., Lavrishev S. V., Murin D. I., Plotnichenko V. 0.//Laser Physics. B. 2000. V. 11. P. 340-347    16. Matsumoto T., Belogorokhov A. I. Belogorokhova L I., Masumoto ‘1.//Nanoteclmology. B. 2000 V. 11. P. 340-347.    17. Belogorokhov A I., Bublik V T., Scerbachev K. D., Parhomenko Yu. N, Makarov V. V., Danilin A. V.//Nucl. Instruments and Methods in Phys. Res. B. 1999, V. 147, P. 320-326    18. Sahu B. S., Agnihotri O P., Jam S. C., Mertens R. a. Kato I.//Appl. Opt. I B. 1990. V. 29. P. 3189-3496.    19. Abdyurkhanov l. M., A˜wopxauoB K M., Prusakov B. F., Gorelik V S., Plotnichenko B. G.//Physical metallurgy and heat treatment of metals. 1998. No. 10. C. 15-17; and    20. “Handbook of optical Constants of Solids”, Ed. by Edward D. Palik, Aead. Press. San Diego 1998, P. 1, P. 11, P. 561-565, P. 575-579.
Each of these patents and/or publications is hereby expressly incorporated by reference in their entirety. As noted by these disclosures, the prior art is very limited in its teaching and utilization, and an improved nanocrystaline based ultraviolet radiation screen is needed to overcome these limitations.